Myrtles Plantation

Interests:“If you’re going to dine with the devil, make sure you have a long spoon.”

Posted 29 March 2004 - 10:29 AM

Just thought I'd share this summer's "vacation" spot for me!

The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1794 by General David Bradford and remains today an excellent example of antebellum architecture along the Mississippi River. The residents and the owners of the house, who have changed several times over the years, recall the many ghostly tales and stories that have been passed on from generation to generation. In a book that was published about the Myrtles in 1900, the author claimed that if every light in the house was darkened, the Myrtles would receive a visitation by one of its spirits.It has been said that the lights have never been all turned off since....

The troubles that led to the haunting began when Sara Matilda, the daughter of David Bradford, married Judge Clark Woodruffe and they moved into the Myrtles. Sara Matilda had given birth to two daughters and was carrying a third child, when an event took place that still haunts the Myrtles today.Woodruffe, had a reputation in the region for integrity with men and with the law, but was also known for being promiscuous. While his wife was pregnant with their third child, he started an intimate relationship with one of his slaves. Unfortunately, this practice was fairly common at the time and it has been recorded as one of the tragedies of slavery. This particular girl, whose name was Chloe, was a household servant who, while she hated being forced to give in to Woodruffe's sexual demands, realized that if she didn't, she could be sent to work in the fields, which was the most brutal of the slave's work.Eventually, Woodruffe tired of Chloe and chose another girl with whom to carry on. Chloe feared the worst, sure that she was going to be sent to the fields, she began eavesdropping on the Woodruffe family's private conversations, dreading the mention of her name. One day, the Judge caught her at this and ordered that one of her ears be cut off to teach her a lesson and to put her in her place. After that time, she always wore a green turban around her head.What happened next is still unclear... some claim that the next event was done so that the family would just get sick and then Chloe could nurse them back to health and earn the Judge's gratitude and some claim that it was done for vengeance!

For whatever reason, Chloe put a small amount of poison into a birthday cake that was made in honor of the Judge's oldest daughter. The two children, and Sara Matilda, each had slices of the poisoned cake but the Judge didn't eat any of it. Before the end of the day, all of them were very sick. Chloe patiently attended to their needs, never realizing (if it was an accident) that she had given them too much poison.... in just hours, they were all three dead.

The other slaves, afraid that the Judge would punish them also, dragged Chloe from her room and hanged her from a nearby tree. Her body was later cut down, weighted with rocks and thrown into the river. The Judge closed off the children's dining room, where the party was held, and never allowed it to be used again as long as he lived, which wasn't long, for he too was slain by a murderer a few years later. To this day, the room has never again been used for dining. It is called the game room today.

Since that day, the ghost of Chloe has been reported at the Myrtles and has even been accidentally photographed by the current owner. A photo that she took of the house showed a shadowy figure in a turban standing near the building. Her spirit has also been seen in the house, perhaps seeking the ghost of the Judge who escaped her revenge.

But Chloe is not the only ghost who haunts this house.... the place seems to be infested with spirits from many different parts of the history of the place.Two of the most tragic ghosts are those of the Woodruffe children who died from the poisoned cake. These small spirits have been seen playing on the verandah of the house, in the hallways, in the children's dining room and strangely, have been reported on a hanging chandelier. They seem to be trapped here in the place where their lives were horribly taken.One spirit is that of a French woman who wanders from room to room and searches for someone she never seems to find. Residents and visitors have also told of the sound of a ghostly crying baby who can be heard in various parts of the house. Perhaps the French woman is seeking this phantom?Another ghost only appears when a thunderstorm approaches. A young girl, with long curly hair and wearing an ankle-length dress, has been seen floating outside the window of the game room, cupping her hands and trying to peer inside through the glass.The grand piano on the first floor also plays by itself, usually repeating the same chord over and over again. Sometimes it continues on through the night. When someone comes into the room to check on the sound, the music stops and will only start again when they leave.In the French bedroom, a woman has been reported in a black skirt who dances to music that only she can hear. This ghost appears to be floating about a foot off of the floor.

The employees at the house often get the worst of the events which happen here. The Myrtles has been open for some time as a bed and breakfast, renting rooms in the house and in cottages on the grounds.One day, a maid was mopping the hallway on the first floor when she came to s strange spot near the front door. She found that no matter how hard she pushed the mop, it would not enter an area on the floor.... it was roughly the size of a human body. There was nothing there and no reason for it... other than that it was the same place where a man had been shot and died right after the Civil War. The strange phenomenon lasted for a month.Another employee, a gateman, was hired to greet guests at the front gate each day. One day, a woman in a white, old fashioned dress walked through the gate without speaking to him. She walked up to the house and vanished through the front door without ever opening it. The gateman quit his job and never returned to the house.

Past owners also claim to have seen a woman's ghost carrying a candle walking up the stairs. One night, a previous owner was talking with some guests on the front porch when they heard a sound that appeared to be a door slamming in the house. They looked and saw a candle, with no one holding it, slowly floating up the stairs as if it were being carried. They walked in to follow it and found the room to be icy cold. The same thing had been reported by the five previous owners and some believe that it may be the ghost of Sara Matilda, searching for her husband.

Another strange phenomenon seems to be a portrait hanging in the game room. This same picture had also been reported to detach itself from the wall and fly across rooms. One owner was struck in the face by it and still bears the scar to this day. According to legend, the expression of the man in the painting is supposed to change expression... is it true or the power of suggestion?Whatever it is, an infrared photo that was taken of it several years ago revealed what seemed to be a bloody handprint on the wall next to the painting.... strangely, four people have been murdered in that room over the years.

Moon could that have been the moaning tree. If so its not at the Myrtles. But is another great story. I will hunt some things on it and post them. If it is the Myrtles please let me know, I will have to look into that one .

Welcome to ghostvillage, home of 24,000+ smiling faces and a few old grouches."Some things have to be believed to be seen"Ralph Hodgson

I am not too sure, but as far as my knowledge goes, it could also be the tree whre Chloe was hung! But I also have heard there were other slaves who were tied up dead on that tree, and there is intense activity around that, and also not everything seems "normal" activity. It seems there has been reported evil activities too around here. Well, but get the info right, for me I have only read about information. Or probably I may have seen it on TV. Not too sure.

HAHNVILLE, LOUISIANA: The Vie Fortune Plantation is haunted by Josephine Darrel, a woman who hanged herself from a white oak tree. The tree is known as Moaning Oak because of the odd moaning sounds heard near it. At precisely midnight, the tree begins creaking and moaning until exactly 1 am.

Strange thing is that this is one location I am having fits trying to get info on.

Welcome to ghostvillage, home of 24,000+ smiling faces and a few old grouches."Some things have to be believed to be seen"Ralph Hodgson